By Tom Spears, Ottawa Citizen, April 21, 2017
Loons are back in Eastern Ontario, and one of North America’s loon scientists is discovering a problem: An early melt on lakes and a head start in breeding appears to backfire on the loons.
This seems backwards to the usual story for migrating birds.For many birds, getting a fast start in breeding is crucial to raising strong, healthy babies in time to fly south next fall. Many birds risk flying north early to grab the best territory, risking death from freezing or starvation if the weather turns bad.
http://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-news/science-of-spring-early-spring-is-bad-news-for-baby-loons